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Displaced Palestinians seek shelter near the border with Egypt, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, January 7, 2024 (Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
By Samantha Waldenberg, Lucas Lilieholm and Mostafa Salem, CNN
(CNN) — The Trump administration has rejected a long-awaited plan for the reconstruction of Gaza endorsed by Arab leaders, saying the president stands by his own vision which includes expelling the territory’s Palestinian residents and transforming it into a “riviera” owned by the United States.
“The current proposal does not address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable and residents cannot humanely live in a territory covered in debris and unexploded ordnance,” National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement Tuesday night.
“President Trump stands by his vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas. We look forward to further talks to bring peace and prosperity to the region.”
The postwar plan for the Gaza Strip, which was proposed by Egypt and calls for Hamas to cede power to an interim administration until a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) can assume control, would allow its roughly 2 million Palestinians to remain, in contrast to Trump’s proposal.
Speaking in Cairo, PA President Mahmoud Abbas pledged that general elections will be held in the West Bank, Gaza and occupied East Jerusalem for the first time in nearly two decades “if circumstances are suitable.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still refuses to say what he envisions for Gaza’s post-war future, except to say that he endorses Trump’s plan for “a different Gaza.” And he thinks neither the PA nor Hamas should govern Gaza.
The $53 billion proposal by Arab nations calls for rebuilding Gaza by 2030. The first phase calls for starting the removal of unexploded ordnance and clearing more than 50 million tons of rubble left by Israel’s bombardment and military offensives.
Jordanian officials told CNN earlier that the plan will be presented to President Donald Trump in the coming weeks.
Although Arab states endorsed Egypt’s plan, the extent of its regional support remains uncertain. Notably, the leaders of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – wealthy Gulf nations whose financial backing would be vital for any postwar strategy – were absent from the summit. Meanwhile, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune boycotted the meeting, citing “imbalances and shortcomings” and criticizing it as being “monopolized by a limited and narrow group of Arab countries.”
CNN obtained a copy of the document, which lays out an ambitious plan to develop shopping malls, an international convention center and even an airport within five years. It also aims to attract tourists by building resorts and enhancing the enclave’s Mediterranean coast.
It also acknowledges the difficulties that could be faced in disarming militants in the Gaza Strip.
“It is something that can be dealt with, and even ended forever, only if its causes are removed through a clear horizon and a credible political process,” it says.
Disarming Hamas
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday that the group’s arms were non-negotiable.
“The weapon of the resistance is a red line, and it is not negotiable,” he said. “We will not accept (any deal) to trade it for reconstruction or the entry of aid.”
Hamas has sent mixed signals about its future in Gaza in recent weeks. Analysts have said that while the group has shown that it is willing to discuss demilitarization as an end goal of a peace process, it is keen not to allow it to become a prerequisite of the process.
Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said last month that the group will not disarm and may even grow after the war in Gaza.
Last week, Hamas official Husam Badran said that the group was willing to step aside from governing Gaza. “Our only condition is for this to be an internal Palestinian matter – we will not allow any regional or international party to get involved,” he told Al Arabiya. “As long as there is national consensus, Hamas will not be involved in the governance.”
The current ceasefire in Gaza, in place since January, remains in doubt after its first phase expired on Saturday. Israel has embraced what it says is an alternative US proposal to extend the cessation of hostilities and the release of hostages taken in Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war.
Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies to Gaza to pressure Hamas to accept the agreement and has warned of additional consequences, raising fears of a return to fighting.
The suspension of aid drew widespread criticism, with human rights groups saying that it violated Israel’s obligations as an occupying power under international law.
Speaking at the summit announcing the plan for Gaza’s future, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said there would be no “true peace” without the establishment of the Palestinian state.
Israel has vowed to maintain open-ended security control over both Gaza and the West Bank, which it captured in the 1967 Mideast war and which Palestinians want for their future state.
Israel’s government and most of its political class are opposed to Palestinian statehood.
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